Welcome to Day 2 of the Select 16 here at TBI 2024!
Tonight, Gary Kingston provides game reports! Please check back throughout the evening for updates!
KING GEORGE 50 BYRNE CREEK 36
By GARY KINGSTON (Special for Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY – In a sparsely filled gym at the Langley Events Centre, Darko Kulic’s full-throated voice reverberates like a shout into the Grand Canyon.
The head coach of King George Dragons’ boys basketball team keeps up a running mix of play-calling and exhortations throughout the 40 minutes of game action. He rarely sits down, weaving a path up and down the sideline in front of his bench.
“UCLA,” or “USA,” or “Spurs” he yells to his team, the requested offensive set echoed by the bench players, just in case anyone on the floor didn’t hear it. “Hug it,” he implores his players as they contest for rebounds. At other times, he’s high-fiving players hustling down the court after a made basket.
“Abud,” he exhorts. “I need defence.” Or, “Abud, don’t try to do too much. I love you.”
Teaching, mixed with positive reinforcement.
It all worked Thursday as his perennial Double AA contenders from Vancouver threw a stifling defensive blanket over the Byrne Creek Bulldogs in the first half of a 50-36 win in a quarterfinal in the Select 16 Bracket of the Tsumura Basketball Invitational tournament.
Neither team executed well in the first half in which King George held leads of 13-3 (first quarter) and 27-10.
“We’re a young, new, inexperienced team,” insisted Kulic, who started four Grade 12s. “Right now, we’re finding our game, trying to create that culture as we always do. I really, really liked the defensive effort. We love being a defensive-minded team.
“Not a lot of people like (low-scoring) games like, but we love it.”
The Dragons were led by six-foot-five forward Faisal Shawwa, who pumped in 17 points. Guard Kio Nickel added nine.
Rebounds weren’t being kept at the scorer’s table, but the Dragons were clearly superior on the boards, particularly 6-foot-8 centre Charlie Comrie, who easily outmuscled Byrne Creek’s tall, but rail-thin front line.
“Every board that goes up, I try to get it, of course,” said Comrie, who contributed eight points. “That’s my job. I don’t really focus on how many I’m getting. Box out, see the high point. Move the feet.”
Kulic, who also keeps up a self-deprecating commentary with the scoring table and reporters courtside, said his practice of loudly calling out plays and having the bench repeat it, is called “echo.
“It’s all part of our motto, ‘Who’s got my back, I’ve got your back.’”
“People who don’t know us probably think we’re loud and crazy. But it’s all a bunch of brothers. We love each other.”
Gabe Masangkay, who had 35 points in Byrne Creek’s opening victory on Wednesday, was held to just 11 points by the Dragons.
BROOKSWOOD 60 A.R. MacNEILL 55
By Gary Kingston (Special to Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY – The problem for the Brookswood Bobcats is size. More specifically, a lack thereof.
Beyond the stellar Grade 12 guard combo of Logan Stewart and Jayden Kenyon, generously listed at 6-foot-five and 6-foot-2, respectively, the rest of the roster is basically a bunch of Damon Stoudemire’s or Muggsy Bogues’ for those with long NBA memories.
It means the supporting cast has got to provide hustle, quick hands, tenacious rebounding and an adherence to defensive structure if the Bobcats are to complement the scoring exploits of Stewart and Kenyon.
It is, pardon the phrase, a tall task.
But one the height-challenged Bobcats were up to Thursday in a nail-biting 60-55 win over A. R. MacNeil Ravens to advance to the semifinals of the Select 16 at the Tsumura Basketball Invitational at Langley Events Centre.
“The screening, the playmaking, even hitting some big shots,” said Brookswood head coach Kelsey Stewart. “We need all that.”
“Kingston (Bird, a five-foot-11 forward who had two big offensive-rebound putbacks early in the third quarter), is just a guy who plays hard all the time and he does the dirty things that make a difference.”
Stewart had 26 points and Kenyon 18, but the grunts did that vital dirty work and chipped in with some big baskets to ensure the win, which was only secured in the final 20 seconds when Grade 12 guard Jo Lozwchuk dove to the floor to get his hands on a loose ball knocked away from the Ravens’ scoring star Chad Gammand.
“We all know our roles,” said Lozwchuk, who was scoreless on the night. “Rebounding, hustle, defence everything.”
Luke Laid, who had earlier knocked down a trio of threes, then added a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining to clinch the win.
“We need that third scorer and today he was the guy,” said the coach of Laird, a five-foot-11 Grade 11.
It was a victory that was marred with 3:10 remaining when the do-everything Logan Stewart, a vacuum cleaner on the boards, was injured when he was undercut by Gammand on a successful three-point attempt. He was down for a couple of minutes before being helped to the bench while unable to put any weight on his left ankle.
“The semifinals (Friday) might be a bit of a grind without Logan,” said a despondent Kelsey Stewart. “He might have a broken ankle. He said something popped in it.”
Gammand led the Ravens with 27 points, while Oscar Kemseke chipped in with 12.
RICK HANSEN 62 SOUTH KAMLOOPS 54
By Gary Kingston (Special to Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY – Harjap Thind is one of the deadliest three-point shooters in B.C. boy’s basketball.
But the dynamic, 5-foot-10 Grade 11 guard for the Rick Hansen Hurricanes is proving at the Tsumura Basketball Invitational that he’s much more than a bomber from long range, even if one of his treys on Thursday was launched from about Aldergrove.
He has no problem penetrating the lane and finishing with sublime tear drop shots. He’s adept at both finding backdoor cutters and making those stealth moves himself on the baseline to get easy baskets. And if you need a key steal, Thind has the anticipation and the quick hands to pull off a bit of thievery.
The soft-spoken on court leader of the scrappy squad from Abbotsford had seven treys through three quarters in the Hurricanes’ 62-54 Select 16 semifinal win over South Kamloops Titans. Then he helped secure the win in the fourth quarter with three baskets off drives into the line, converting one with a deft scoop shot and another with one of those soft one-handed tear drops.
“He’s a crafty little guard,” said Rick Hansen head coach Joban Pandher. “He’s been in the weight room this year and he’s stronger.
“He’s not shooting as much as I’d like him to. But he’s got a big body on him. Looks are deceiving. You might think he’s a little guard, but he’s a little pitbull out there. And he’s a great defender too. That kind of gets overlooked.”
Thind finished the night with a game high 35 points, while Armani Sidhu chipped in with eight and Pratham Bhogal added seven.
With 6-foot-4 centre Ranvir Deol sitting out with an injury, the Hurricanes also had to play most of the fourth quarter without Bhogal, another 6-foot-4 centre who had to sit after turning an ankle.
It meant going with a small lineup against a physical, long-limbed South Kamloops side.
“We were down two bigs, our four and our five, but with the smaller lineup we were kind of buzzing on defence, contact switching everything, so making them feel us.
“As to end our first game, our best offence was just locking up and getting easy layups.”
Rugged Grade 12 forward Larry Shyakagisa led the Titans with 14 points while Grade 11 guard Jonathan Kapinga-Thais added 13.
COLLINGWOOD 92 RICHMOND 65
By Gary Kingston (Special to Varsity Letters)
LANGLEY – As my old buddy Howard Tsumura might write, given his penchant for exploring the more mystical qualities of James Naismith’s terrific old game, basketball is a symphony of movement, strategy and passion.
It’s also about simply having more talent than your opponent.
Case in point, the Collingwood Cavaliers of West Vancouver.
The reigning Double A boys provincial high school champions are into the semifinals of the Select 16 division of the Tsumura Basketball Invitational after two dominant wins to open the tournament.
On Thursday, the Cavaliers outclassed the Richmond Colts 92-65. A day earlier, they had opened the tournament with an easy 107-55 victory over the Maple Ridge Ramblers.
Collingwood is deep, has decent size and capable scorers and defenders sprinkled throughout the lineup.
“We love the way we’re playing right now,” said head coach Andy Wong of a squad that improved to 7-0 in the early season.
The Cavaliers should get more of a challenge facing the Rick Hansen Hurricanes of Abbotsford in one of Friday’s semifinals.
“They play a really fast game, we play a really fast game,” said Wong. “They’ve got a lot of guards that like to shoot, same as us. It should be a really good matchup. We’are feeling really confident.”
Collingwood was led Thursday by 6-foot-6 centre Julian Hinders, who had 24 points and was a tower of strength on the boards.
“I feel like Rick Hansen will be a good test for us,” said Hinds. “Our chemistry and our skill set has really shown through the first two games and I feel like our size and our shooting ability will test them.”
Hinds says he’s confident the Cavaliers will be in good shape to defend their provincial championship.
“Last year, we relied on our size more. This year, I think we’ve got more skill and better team chemistry. And every game we’re improving as a team.”
Sam Li had 20 points for the Cavaliers against the Colts, including four three-pointers. Top scorer Finn Murphy had 12, while sitting out much of the second half.
Joshua Ning led the Colts with 13, while Grade 9 guard Caden Lai had 10, all of them in the fourth quarter when the benches on both side were emptied.
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